Boots

Boots. I love boots. They have a certain ringing sound as they hit the pavement. They don't clop like my heeled sandals or that familiar clicking sound of heels that makes wearing them sound a little awkward to me (mostly as I walk late into church and the sound of my heels announce my lateness to every single person there. Darn you, vaulted ceilings). Boots are pure confidence. And it's a good thing that I live in an area that is dumped in snow in the winter. Boots, in many ways, are way more needed in the U.P. than heels. Has anyone walked on NMU's campus in the middle of winter and totally fallen on your ass? Yeah, don't worry. It has happened to everyone at least once (NMU work on that shit).


Is this all too soon to talk about? It's not even August, right? However, I wear boots all the time, yes, even in the summer. They just complete me, I guess, like a nut to a squirrel, neon to my nails, a suit to Barney Stinson, fountain Pepsi to my taste buds...get it, sort of?


Anyway, I have three favorite pairs, four actually, but I can only share three as the fourth is my hardcore furry winter boots that are packed away somewhere that could be located at my parent's house, my sister's or my in-laws...


This pair I just got and did share with you in my last post. I love the badass look of them and how versatile they are:

Next these are my favorite all time boots and I hope they last forever!

See that wear and tear? Yeah, that's right, that's U.P. weather and salt from the lower peninsula's streets. Always remember to spray boots down with water proofing stuff. 

These booties I have had for a few years now and I love to pair them with socks or just wear them with jeans:

And here are a couple pairs that I like from a website that I recently discovered. The prices are very decent, but I also don't know the quality of the boots.


These are similar to the pair I just bought but I love the buckles and the two toned look of the boots.

I love what they are doing with the old styles of oxfords and loafers.

Following is a list of boots that I wish I had. Honestly, as I am perusing Zappos.com I could keep going with this post with all the boots that I love and wish I had. The links of the designers just lead to Zappos.com because that's where I found them, at wonderful prices, too!


How badass do these boots look. Ahhh! I want them. Drool a little bit, it's okay. This pair is by Aldo

Wellies for the rainy day! I like the pretty floral pattern. I could see these easily worn with a flirty skirt, walkin' the dog in a light drizzly rain. Am I the only one who likes the rain? These are Gabriella Rocha.

I am not one for cowboy boots, but I like the cowboy boot influence in this slouchy pair. Gabriella Rocha also made this pair. The heel isn't too high either.

Boots! Okay, I will finish with this post before the world ends or something. But, before I do, break out the boots in the summer! I have already gotten a few odd looks and questions, who effin' cares! Going out to the bar tonight? Boots always look adorable with a skirt or shorts. Or anything...

Red Pants

What I want right now:

Red pants!

This flame colored pair is from J Crew. I like how this pair is more of a striaght leg that could easily be born tucked into boots or with heels or flats...oh, the possibilites.

This pair is from H&M. I like the looser fit. They look nice and summery and could be worn as more of a sporty look like in this picture or easily dressed up.

This pair is from topshop. Skinnies!

I think they are all cute, adorable. I know it's red and the first color that pops into my head is black. But so much more can work with this. Yellow, blue if you want to rock an American look, purple is what I'm thinking right now, maybe even a lavender. Something striped would be totally on trend. A lace top would be cute. Red pants I feel have a more rocker feel and the lace would...soften it up or make it more rock n roller...or they would look cute with a blazer and some bright tank underneath.

I just got these amazing boots and the skinny pair would look amazing!

And they fold down so you can see that cute flannel fabric!

 Boots: Madden Girl

This would be a good look to rock on the first day of school as the leaves are just starting to be twinged with the lightest shade of color and the first cool breeze of the new season wafts across campus. Too soon? Yeah, I thought so too. How about Saturday night then? After a day at the beach? Sounds better to me too.

Now, where to find them around here, in the U.P., if you don't want to shop online? Pants are hard to shop online, you have to try them on. Well, I don't really know. Yet. This weekend I will be hitting up the mall and I will search for a pair. Sometimes, though, sad to say, that which the big designers have, we in the midwest don't have. Yet. Red is a big color for the fall so it will just be a matter of time before I find a pair or two or ten. If not, its time to hit up Appleton. I will keep you updated!

Long Skirts are Dangerous

Today has not been going that well. We got turned down on a house...so still homeless (if I didn't mention it, we have no place to live but my in-laws). Stepped in dog poop...Husband is sick (however I do have the excuse to make chicken noodle soup), still don't have a job, and I am utterly uninspired, as evidenced by the pile of clothes I tried on today trying to come up with an outfit and still don't know if I got it exactly right. All I keep thinking about is all the clothes that I don't own and the clothing that my mom picked out for me at a thrift store (what would she pick out for me?)...


Here is the outfit that I put together today after much debate and much changing and many, many sighs:

Skirt: thrifted

Shirt: My mom gave it to me

Belt: Forever 21

Bracelets: here and there

I find that I like long skirts. They are free and floaty and I can't help but feel pretty in them...but...do I end up looking like an old lady? Possibly in this skirt - little sister who said this skirt did look old lady-ish, needs to comment - but I love it for some reason. I tried to update the skirt by adding a pop of color with the shirt, and adding a neon green to my nails (you can see it glowing  in the first shot). Also, like the bracelets around my ankle? I thought it was cute.

Long skirts, I don't think need to be old-ladyish. They are popping up more and more. But I find that girl's my age stay away from longer skirts unless its a bridesmaid dress (Hint: I have an idea on re-wearing such a dress, look for a post later on it) or prom dress. Since when does such a length have to belong to an older generation? If it looks good, rock it, right? Girl's of the U.P. stop looking at me weird if I am in a longer skirt and try it yourself! On another note, I finally got that chiffon skirt from romwe.com and the next time I wear it I will make sure I get a picture of it. It's cute, not that well made, but cute.

If you decide to take this look up just be careful climbing the stairs. You can accidentally trip on the hem if your arms are full of laundry, the dog is scrambling to get around you, and the stairs are particularly steep, because that so did not happen to me...and one more ellipsis to finish out the day, because I'm addicted...

Ugly bridesmaid dresses

So, I just want to post this because I think it's fun and funny. 


My sister is getting married in September and her bridal shower is quickly approaching, then the party begins, with her bachelorette party following on the same night. The theme for this great tradition is ugly bridesmaid dresses. We have all seen them, especially if you have seen the movie 21 Dresses. When hearing this theme my mother-in-law sent me on a search for some mythical ugly dress (still haven't found it), and in this search we came across other left behind ugly dresses and they are so brilliantly ugly I have to share it with you all. And keep repeating the word ugly.


I'm just so excited for this, it's going to be so much fun. For the invitation, to give the girls the right idea, I wanted a couple pictures of these dresses. One bridesmaid already has the wrong idea. I don't want the girls showing up in pretty dresses. You need to ugly up for the bride! Do it for the bride! Also, my sister will be wearing an ugly wedding dress, too. Fun, right? Who wouldn't want to do this?


I only have a couple pictures of the dresses that I want to share with you as it was so hot we could only bare to stay in them long enough for one shot. It is bordering on 100 degrees up here. I just hope the night of the bachelorette party is much, much cooler.


Here they are:

Straight 80's here and not flattering at all, sorry school hood chum.

This is an actual bridesmaid dress that my mother-in-law wore to her sister's wedding. What was her sister thinking?

I makes me wonder how the bridesmaid dress that I picked out for my girls will be viewed in ten, twenty years. I'm hoping it's still pretty. 

Other than the dresses, I'm wondering if there is anything else we should add to the outfits besides penis whistles and a shot glass in hand? Any thoughts or ideas would be greatly appreciated.

I can't wait to see what the other girls are going to come up with. I know very well that some of them will dream up something amazing ugly. And when it happens I will try to get more pictures posted.

Lastly, I want to make this last comment. I love the difference in thought concerning dresses like this. These two, particularly the last one, are pieces that could easily be found in a vintage store downstate and priced at 60 dollars or more. Yet, here in the U.P. we are trying to utterly destroy them with booze and laughs. 

Oh, what fun this will be (to the tune of jingle bells, with a manical laugh)...

Summer, hot, humid style

It is hot. If you are in the U.P., it's effin' hot up here. 80's, 90's and humid. The humidity can kill, especially my husband. Now fashion in the heat can be difficult for me. I always feel this urge to layer, layer, layer to feel fashionable. Dress, tank over it, belted, add a cardigan = cute outfit. Obvious problem here, that is way too hot for this weather, although I do recommend carrying a cardigan for trips to restaurants and stores for the super cold air-conditioning (it is not fun shivering and trying to drink a delicious beer).

Just throwing a tank and shorts on does not feel like a finished outfit for me. I was looking at the Sartorialist's blog this morning and came across this picture of a woman dressed beautifully for the summer:

Photo by Scott Schuman

and he made a comment about how people think it's hard to dress in summer when its too hot to even wear clothes. First, I realized that I wasn't the only one that felt this way and second, this girl obviously doesn't have that problem. She is in a bright summery color. Bright colors are always summery. My favorite color right now is yellow and I have never really cared for yellow, but it feels so much like summer I can't help but dig it. Right now I am sporting a marigold yellow nail polish that would go perfectly with a swimsuit and the beach. 

A loose, flowy skirt that probably doesn't cling uncomfortably in the heat, good idea. Cute sandals, even better. Flip flops, only if you are going to the beach or hanging out in your yard. I don't particularly care for that foam footwear. A more structured sandal like what the girl is wearing, or a gladiator or t-strap, or basically anything flat and nice-looking will certainly add a detail to an outfit that will pull it all together better. 

Armful of accessories which wouldn't be too hard to wear in the heat and add a bit of glamour to any outfit. Accessories easily personal that simple summer look especially if you are sporting something like a tank and skirt or shorts. In fact, I did this just yesterday. I added some bright colors to my pale pink tank and jean shorts look with a turquoise watch and a purple bracelet (does it matter if it matches? I don't think so).

And the hair. I may not necessarily like her hairstyle, but I always forget about hair, mostly because I can only do the bare minimum with hair. My skills fail in that area. If you can do something cute with your hair it certainly does add to an outfit. I always notice if a girl's hair is cute. For summer, hair can always be worn up, in braids, buns, kept short like a cute bob (I love bobs!). Don't forget about hair! 

Doing something a little different with your summer outfit, can add that little bit of fashion, too. Tying a ribbon around your waist for a belt, or, and this I think is a cute idea, but haven't tried yet, tie ribbons that match your sandals around your ankles. This would look particularly well with a cork wedge heel.

Hair accessories, there are some exceptional headbands out there now, that are a wow factor just hanging on the shelf. I know Target has some cute ones right now. Find ones that are comfy on your head and won't give you a headache (I frequently have this problem). Elastic, again if they aren't too tight, can be pretty comfortable. Or if you have a cute scarf, that can be folded and worn as a headband.

Now that I think about it, there are some cool things to do with fashion in the summer. If you have any other ideas feel free to let me know!

Marquette Shopping

Since arriving back in Marquette, I have explored downtown. Every time I think I have discovered everything, I am told that I have missed something, so this is all a work in progress and I will update whenever I discover the new.


I want to talk about the downtown shopping. There are quite a few delightful downtown stores. The most well known, Getz's, caters to a wide range of people and worth checking out. They carry North Face, Carhartt (the biggest dealers in Carhartt in the country, fyi), Keens, Silver Jeans, Mountain Hardware. Can you tell there are a bunch of hiking hippies up here? But also, valuable gear for the weather up here. They do carry a lot of cute clothes for a wide age range, from basement to the top floor.


Next there is Mary's Closet. Another cute store, prices are about the same as Getz's, which is a little pricey for me right now as I don't have a job. The clothes ranged from a younger audience, like me, to clothes for older women. They are also a carrier of BB Dakota, as is Getz's, if you like their stuff, which I do. BB Dakota clothes are so cute. I had a trench coat of theirs that I wore until all the buttons and the buckle fell off, then still wore it. I still have it, can't get rid of it. 


There are, of course, the cheesy tourist stores with all the bric-a-brac that no one ever really needs and not worth mentioning. 


Next are the consignment shops. There are two of them, Reblossom and Party in Disguise. 
Reblossom has a lot of really nice clothes and the store was very cute with little closet displays of shoes and pants and dresses. I did think this place was a little pricey, but it was the first time I was in a consignment shop, so maybe the prices are normal and I've just been hanging out at Salvation Army too much.


Party in Disguise, is just that, a party in disguise. I thought it had been a costume store, but when I passed it, I saw a sale sign for purses and it looked more like a clothing store, so I stopped in. And guess what?! I discovered a vintage Coach purse in very good condition (there are two barely noticeable marks in the leather) probably from the 80's, I haven't checked it out yet. But just guess the price, just guess. Four dollars! After skimming all the vintage stores downstate with their ridiculous prices, this was just a delightful find that I had to buy even though I promised my husband I wouldn't buy another purse for a very long time (at that price he was okay with it). Party in Disguise is a costume/party store as well as a consignment shop more geared towards the working woman with many cute skirts, and many more purses.


With all these stores you will get asked if you need help, but no one is overly in your face like I think many workers are in the department stores. The people behind the counter, always working, are the owners themselves, there is no corporate backing pushing sales. It was nice and relaxing shopping in these stores without the overbearing sales people.


Downtown Marquette is beautiful and near the lake so there is always a nice breeze. Haha, I feel like I am writing one of those Michigan ads for tourists to visit. 


Those are my findings so far. And I will update as I discover more Marquette. My long term goal is to discover the little shops in all the bigger cities like Escanaba, Houghton, Sault Saint Maire...because even though the U.P. does not offer much in way of designers or malls, there are places to find unique clothing and that is what we are, right? Unique? Damn right, U.P.

Inspirations

You know, I don't think people realize just how inspiring fashion can be. I just received via the local library, the book by Scott Schuman, the Sartorialist. I blogged about him a while back. He has a website where he daily posts a photo, but he also published a book back in 2009. I opened it to the first page and bam! Love it.

Here is a delightful quote by this delightful man:

"We tend to think that to achieve great personal style someone must have perfect clarity about who they are and what they stand for. I politely disagree. I think conflict about who you are often leads to even greater expression. That is why young people, or the young at heart, are those that inspire or move fashion forward. They are still struggling to find themselves: "Am I rocker? A footballer? Or a little bit of both?" These contradictions produce the most interesting looks."

This is so inspiring and not at all in a lame way. The person he is talking about is me in many ways. Am I rocker? A footballer? Okay, I am not a footballer, I do know that much. But that mixing and matching of clothing, the delving into the closet each day and asking what am I today? certainly leads to some interesting pairings. 

Then I came across this equally delightful blogger, Miss Moss, who had this amazing post the other day, where she put pictures by photographer Tommy Ton next to paintings by Yago Hortal. Yeah, I have never heard of these names either, but it is amazing looking at the completely different pieces of art and think that they had to have the same muse. Beautiful work on both sides; beautiful work by Miss Moss for putting these together. check it out:

http://www.missmoss.co.za/2011/07/13/bright-as-neon/

These are my inspirations for today and hopefully they inspire you in some way.

Thrifting...or is it going green?

Today was my first attempt at thrifting. I am trying all kinds of new things these days. I always used to scorn Goodwill, Salvation Army, and St. Vincent's. Why? Who knows, a girl who wanted all the new stuff, has slowly come to realize that old stuff is cool too, as long as it is in good condition.

Well, today I hit the above mentioned stores and it was kinda fun. You really have to be in the mood for digging through stacks of clothing to do this. Some stores are arranged a bit better than others as well. I found several interesting pieces, but only went away with a blue and white striped cardigan (I have to remove the shoulder pads) and a chiffon-like, white floaty top to tuck into my pencil skirts (yay!!!). The cardigan is straight 80's and I'm not sure about the white top, but it's older, maybe (dare I call it?) vintage if the appearance of the tag is any indicator (tags are all sewn and not printed). 

I came across a few other items that would need a little bit of modernizing, but unfortunately I fell to the debilitating weakness of worrying about what other people think, so I didn't get the cool looking '90's button down dress or a dress that I think my great-grandma would have worn, though the pattern was pretty awesome. If I would have gotten them I would have shortened the long skirt or layered to make the clothes look more modern. I will just have to man up and go back. They were so cool, too. And cheap.

The last place that I checked out today: my mother-in-law's closet. I found a wonderful, vintage plaid skirt that just needs to be dry-cleaned.

Once I work these pieces into my wardrobe I will try and post pictures and I would love to see your comments on my thrifting abilities. 

Anyway, check these places out. You can even put a recycle spin on it. You are going green!

Rikki-Tikki-Tavi

Okay, so I am not talking about a mongoose or Rudyard Kipling (he wrote the Jungle Book, google it if you don't know what I'm talking about). I am talking about this amazing girl named Tavi. I first heard mention of her in a magazine, I don't remember which one...but anyway. She is this amazing 15 year old who blogs about fashion. She is incredibly creative and intelligent and I wish I was like her at that age. I wish I was like her now.


Seriously, check her out. Her fashion sense is ridiculously awesome. Her creativity is just as awesome. I wish I could use some other word than awesome, but that is what she is.
Tavi = www.thestylerookie.com

Shades of gray...or purple, or green, or blue

First, I have to say this. I love when inspiration hits. It's delightful.

Next, wearing all the same color. Sounds boring right? 

Recently, while looking at my wardrobe I see a repeating of certain colors, purple, turquoise, gray. Having just invested in a lavender shirt I decided to layer it over my purple summer dress. Belted it and it looked cute. I twisted a purple bead necklace around my wrist and hit the summer hot streets.

Later as the streets cooled I considered putting on pants. However, I love layering tights under my skirts and rocking my boots. Then an idea popped in my head which is borrowed from a past Instyle magazine. Wearing the same color only in varying shades. I wanted to try it, but at the time I just didn't have that head to toe outfit. Well, now I have my lavender shirt and so I pulled out my plum colored tights. Boom. Awesome.

I think this look is so fun. The key to this is not to wear the same shade. You want varying shades. 

Take the color blue. Pair navy and baby blue and a neon blue or azure or cyan or a grayish blue. There are so many shades of blue and would be easy to pull an outfit together. Or, if you are like me and are drawn to certain colors, pick out that favorite shade. Follow your eye, about what colors that go well together, and shades that work for you. Add in accessories of similar colors or if you are choking on blue or whatever color you chose, add in neutrals to balance everything out, like a leather strap watch, a belt, kickin' boots.

Now go stare at your closet and check out what colors dominate and wear it head to toe.

The Boyfriend Fit

I love the boyfriend fit of the clothes that are out now. I know, I have mentioned this fit several times, but I love it! They are so comfy. 

For years I have always tried to find the shirts and the jeans that have the perfect tight fit. I always avoided the looser fit clothes. I thought they just weren't flattering, that they would make me look fat or something.

But now, I completely advocate that fit. 

Just to reiterate, the boyfriend fit is usually a looser, more masculine silhouette.  Don't shy away because of the word masculine. You aren't going to end up looking like a boy. And if you feel that way in clothes like that there are ways of girl-ing it up. 

So far, Target has a great selection of that boyfriend fit in t-shirts with a little pocket on the breast and cardigans that have a looser fit (the cardigans are so cute!). American Eagle has a great pair of boyfriend fit jeans that I have already raved about, as well as a blazer.

What is great about this fashion statement that it is so easy to wear on the streets of U.P. and so easy to pull off to begin with. They fit in easily with the laid back attitude of the Yoop and lazy summer days. You don't have to worry about any bulges created by those tight clothes (love handles created by those tight, low slung hip-huggers...no good) or your crack hanging out or to always have your stomach pulled in because your shirt is so tight it reveals the bagel you decided to eat for breakfast. Boyfriend fit is much more forgiving.

If you are uncomfortable with the loose fit of the shirts, they always look cute belted. A nicer looking shirt can easily be tucked into a pencil skirt and worn to work. Case in point, dropping off resumes today, that is what I wore (and I rocked it, by the way).

The blazer that I have is amazing looking. It looks like a guys as it is a little wider in the shoulders and narrows to the waist. The sleeves are shorter and rolled. Though it is a masculine fit it is sexy looking. I love layering it over lower cut tanks or girly dresses. I'm not super girly so those flowery, chiffon dresses can sometimes feel over kill for me and the blazer adds an element of sexiness.

Don't go over board with everything in this fit. Head to toe will probably loose any shape that you have, unless you are going for a hippie look (which I say, still avoid, but I'm not here to tell you what to do). I like to wear my boyfriend jeans with a fitted tank and my boyfriend shirts with some cute shorts (showing some skin is a good idea with looser fits) or my cardigan over just about anything because I adore it right now. 

P.S. the picture at the top of the blog is the cardigan I have been raving about!

Enjoy discovering this great fit...

Similarities in Dress

It has happened. You show up to a party, a wedding, even just going to the movies and there she is, in the exact same dress as you. In the U.P. this is a frequent occurrence. In high school I had a friend that would get so pissed if someone else showed up in the same shirt. You can't get angry over that, there is no avoiding it unless you somehow only shop at boutiques and those are few and far between in the U.P.


At my wedding three girls showed up in the same dress and one totally rocked it. She blew the other two out of the water. You need to be that girl. Mostly she had the perfect body type for this dress. She was a curvy hourglass and it looked perfect in the dress. Of course, not everyone has an hourglass figure. Whatever figure you have, flute-shaped, apple, pear, full-figured, you have to work your advantages and balance everything out. If you are fuller up top don't wear something that will just make 'em look bigger, same with your ass. If you don't have a waist create a waist with a belt or a dress that is more fitted around the waist. Always hold out for the perfect fit. If something doesn't fit you quite right, then move on to something else or be willing or have the ability to fix what doesn't fit well (too big in the bust is something that can easily be fixed. Call on grandma for that one. Length, too long of straps, waist too large, all pretty easy fixes). But if the outfit puts a glaring look on something you don't want highlighted, or the color is just terrible but it fits well, move on.


It's almost all about the fit, but there are other factors. How you wear it. Shoulders back, spine straight, always. It makes you look thinner and confident. A smile always helps, too, unless you can pull off the badass smirk that makes guys wonder what you are thinking about.


Put together an awesome outfit. The fact that you are wearing the same thing as that other girl won't be glaringly obvious if you have belted the dress or added hot heels, or accessorized to perfection. Another thing to keep in mind is that whatever you have picked to wear usually shows something about you, so keep that idea going with whatever you pair with the outfit. Make those other girls look you up from head to toe. Sometimes those looks are uncomfortable, but bare it and know that you look awesome.